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Cultural Studies of Science Education

, Volume 12, Issue 2, pp 227–253 | Cite as

A cross-case analysis of three Native Science Field Centers

  • Helen J. Augare
  • Dominique M. Davíd-Chavez
  • Frederick I. Groenke
  • Melissa Little Plume-Weatherwax
  • Lisa Lone Fight
  • Gene Meier
  • Helene Quiver-Gaddie
  • Elvin Returns From Scout
  • Bonnie Sachatello-Sawyer
  • Nate St. Pierre
  • Shelly Valdez
  • Rachel Wippert
Original Paper
First Online:

Abstract

Native Science Field Centers (NSFCs) were created to engage youth and adults in environmental science activities through the integration of traditional Native ways of knowing (understanding about the natural world based on centuries of observation including philosophy, worldview, cosmology, and belief systems of Indigenous peoples), Native languages, and Western science concepts. This paper focuses on the Blackfeet Native Science Field Center, the Lakota Native Science Field Center, and the Wind River Native Science Field Center. One of the long-term, overarching goals of these NSFCs was to stimulate the interest of Native American students in ways that encouraged them to pursue academic and career paths in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields. A great deal can be learned from the experiences of the NSFCs in terms of effective educational strategies, as well as advantages and challenges in blending Native ways of knowing and Western scientific knowledge in an informal science education setting. Hopa Mountain—a Bozeman, Montana-based nonprofit—partnered with the Blackfeet Community College on the Blackfeet Reservation, Fremont County School District #21 on the Wind River Reservation, and Oglala Lakota College on the Pine Ridge Reservation to cooperatively establish the Native Science Field Centers. This paper presents a profile of each NSFC and highlights their program components and accomplishments.

Keywords

Informal science education American Indian youth Culturally-responsive education Environmental science education Indigenous knowledge Native American languages 
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Notes

Acknowledgments

The Native Science Field Centers were funded by the National Science Foundation (Grant #0610270) and the Bush Foundation. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation or the Bush Foundation.

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Copyright information

© Springer Science+Business Media Dordrecht 2015

Authors and Affiliations

  • Helen J. Augare
    • 1
  • Dominique M. Davíd-Chavez
    • 1
  • Frederick I. Groenke
    • 1
  • Melissa Little Plume-Weatherwax
    • 1
  • Lisa Lone Fight
    • 1
  • Gene Meier
    • 1
  • Helene Quiver-Gaddie
    • 1
  • Elvin Returns From Scout
    • 1
  • Bonnie Sachatello-Sawyer
    • 1
  • Nate St. Pierre
    • 1
  • Shelly Valdez
    • 1
  • Rachel Wippert
    • 1
  1. 1.Hopa MountainBozemanUSA

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